The Third Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 8, 29 June 2014
Genesis 22:1-14
Psalm 13
Or
Jeremiah 28:5-9
Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18
Romans 6:12-23
St. Matthew10:40-42
Background: Child Sacrifice
The subject matter of the first reading in
Track 1 leads us to ask the question of how prevalent was child sacrifice in
the ancient near east. My recent reading
of Joan Breton Connelly’s book The Parthenon
Enigma, made me realize that it was not only prevalent in the ancient near
east but in Greece as well. It was also
practiced in Carthage and Phoenicia. But
what about Israel? We have evidence in
the Torah itself of instances, (see II Kings 3:26f. or Micah 6:7f.). Other references
talk about the practice in the land of the Ammonites. It is distinctly banned in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. That it is mentioned in these texts implies
that it was a practice to be actively condemned. Isaiah 30:27-33 mentions a “tophet”, a place
outside of Jerusalem where children were sacrificed to Moloch. II Kings 16:3 accuses Ahaz of
sacrificing his son, along with other forbidden practices. Thus Leviticus and Deuteronomy are not
commenting on a hypothetical situation, but rather on an active practice.
Genesis 22:1-14
God tested Abraham. He
said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." He said,
"Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of
Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I
shall show you." So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey,
and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for
the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God
had shown him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away.
Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the boy
and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to
you." Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son
Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked
on together. Isaac said to his father Abraham, "Father!" And he said,
"Here I am, my son." He said, "The fire and the wood are here,
but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" Abraham said, "God
himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So the two of
them walked on together.
When they came to the
place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in
order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. But the
angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, and said, "Abraham,
Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." He said, "Do not lay
your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God,
since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." And Abraham
looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took
the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham
called that place "The LORD will provide"; as it is said to this day,
"On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided."
Why does either the “E” writer, or the “J”
writer (both seem to be involved here, perhaps due to the work of a later
redactor) tell this story, and if both are involved, why do both deem it of
some importance. E.A. Speiser is quick
to advise, however, that we must not take this story as only an etiology or a
warning against the practice of child sacrifice, but rather see a deeper
meaning. If anything the situation lends
drama to Abraham’s circumstances. That
Isaac should have come late in life and should be the assurance of the promises
that God gives to Abraham about being the father of many is made sharp in this
demand that Abraham sacrifice his son.
The dearness of the relationship is pointed out clearly in a
restructuring of the text, “your son,
your only one, whom you love, Isaac”, by the 11th century Rabbi
Rashi:
“’Your son.’ He (God) said to him, ‘I have two
sons.’ He (God) said to him, ‘Your only one.’ He said, “This one is an only one
to his mother and that one is an only one to his mother.’ He (God) said to him
‘Whom you love.’ He said to him (God),
‘I love both of them.’ He (God) said to him, ‘Isaac.’”[1]
Abraham and Sarah’s future and the future of their family have always
swung in the balance. Having followed
God’s command to leave the land of their birth and to follow into an unknown
place, the future seems equally unknown or at least at risk, and here all of
that drama is brought to the forefront.
The initial statement about the “testing of Abraham” does not lead us
astray. Is Abraham worthy? Does he trust? His behavior in the text is unquestioning. The intervention by the divine (angels) and
by creation itself (the ram) seems to underscore the faithfulness of God’s
promise, brought to the reader as well in high drama.
Breaking open Genesis:
- What are the tests that Abraham endures?
- Does Abraham seem to be engaged or disengaged in the text?
- What do you think the point of the text is?
Psalm 13 Usquequo, Domine?
How long, O LORD?
will you forget me for
ever? *
how long will you hide
your face from me?
How long shall I have
perplexity in my mind,
and grief in my heart,
day after day?*
how long shall my enemy
triumph over me?
Look upon me and answer
me, O LORD my God; *
give light to my eyes,
lest I sleep in death;
Lest my enemy say,
"I have prevailed over him," *
and my foes rejoice
that I have fallen.
But I put my trust in
your mercy; *
my heart is joyful
because of your saving help.
I will sing to the
LORD, for he has dealt with me richly; *
I will praise the Name
of the Lord Most High.
This psalm might well be put on the lips of Abraham’s mind, especially
in the light of the first reading. “How long” and “Always” seem to form a tension in which Abraham’s (or actually the
psalmist’s) life exists. Such wrestling
with God is not unusual here. In last
Sunday’s Track 2 first reading, Jeremiah deals with a similar situation and
emotions. The final line is the clue, “But I in your kindness do trust.” In spite of the eternal waiting, the
psalmist yet trusts, and waits.
Breaking open Psalm 13:
- What’s your emotional response to a “forgetful God?”
- How does God remember you during the day?
- How do you honor God during the day?
or
Jeremiah 28:5-9
The prophet Jeremiah
spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people
who were standing in the house of the LORD; and the prophet Jeremiah said,
"Amen! May the LORD do so; may the LORD fulfill the words that you have
prophesied, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house
of the LORD, and all the exiles. But listen now to this word that I speak in
your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. The prophets who preceded
you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against
many countries and great kingdoms. As for the prophet who prophesies peace,
when the word of that prophet comes true, then it will be known that the LORD
has truly sent the prophet."
Here you might want to take time and read Chapter 27 and 28 as a
unit. Chapter 27 represents a four-part
decree that God declares to his prophet, and the following chapter is the
conversation that unpacks what God has said.
Our reading opines on the real nature of the prophetic office. What Jeremiah wants to make perfectly clear
to the hearer (here the prophet Hananiah, who has announced a prophecy of peace
and restoration) is that it is the Word of the Lord that needs to be delivered
to the people, and not prophetic hopes.
Jeremiah discloses the tradition of the Word of God that he has heard
and is compelled to deliver. God will
ascertain which words are true. This
scene takes place in a charged atmosphere in which Babylon has already inserted
itself into the affairs of Judah, and has taken exiles. Which prophet speaks the Word of the
Lord? Hananiah is trusting in what God
has done in the past, that God would remain faithful to the Davidid kings
Jeremiah acknowledges Hananiah’s hope, but quickly makes him aware of what the
prophets before have spoken. Finally,
Jeremiah puts both of their words to the test. God will have God’s way.
Breaking open the
Jeremiah:
- What are the three parts of Jeremiah’s argument?
- Are there points where he is a bit cynical?
- How do Jeremiah and Hananiah differ?
Psalm 89:1-4,15-18 Misericordias Domini
Your love, O LORD, for
ever will I sing; *
from age to age my
mouth will proclaim your faithfulness.
For I am persuaded that
your love is established for ever; *
you have set your
faithfulness firmly in the heavens.
"I have made a
covenant with my chosen one; *
I have sworn an oath to
David my servant:
'I will establish your
line for ever, *
and preserve your
throne for all generations.'"
Happy are the people
who know the festal shout! *
they walk, O LORD, in
the light of your presence.
They rejoice daily in
your Name; *
they are jubilant in
your righteousness.
For you are the glory
of their strength, *
and by your favor our
might is exalted.
Truly, the LORD is our
ruler; *
the Holy One of Israel
is our King.
In this “royal psalm” we can see where
Hananiah (see the reading from Jeremiah, above) has placed his trust. “I have
made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn an oath to David my
servant.” We must ask, along with
Jeremiah, are their limits to such promises and faithfulness? This is a strange juxtaposition of psalm and
first reading, for the psalmist hope exceeds even those of Hananiah. This is the bedrock trust that Israel bears
toward God. It will be tested in all
times, and not just those times of war and turmoil, but in times of personal
stress as well.
Breaking open the Psalm
89:
- What promises are made in this psalm?
- Which ones are kept, and how?
- Which ones seem to be broken promises?
Romans 6:12-23
Do not let sin exercise
dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. No
longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present
yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and
present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin will
have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
What then? Should we
sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not
know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are
slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of
obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that you,
having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form
of teaching to which you were entrusted, and that you, having been set free from
sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms
because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your
members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now
present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.
When you were slaves of
sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. So what advantage did you
then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things
is death. But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God,
the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. For the
wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
our Lord.
St. Paul continues an exposition on Baptism and its effect in the
Christian life. The conversation begins
with a discussion on the nature of sin, and its role over against those who
would follow Jesus. The turning point of
this discussion is not only the nature of sin, but of freedom as well. “Should
we sin because we are not under law but under grace?” This is the second time in this chapter
that Paul has raised this conundrum. He
offers a choice: be a slave to sin or
be a slave to obedience (that is to Christ).
What is important in this discussion, transactions actually, are the
consequences of following the one or the other.
Slavery to sin leads to death.
Slavery to obedience leads to sanctification and eternal life. His initial comments hold: “Present your members to God as instruments
of righteousness.”
Breaking open Romans:
- What does “sin” mean to you?
- What does “a slave to sin” mean to Paul?
- How do you fit in?
St. Matthew 10:40-42
Jesus said,
"Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the
one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will
receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name
of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever
gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a
disciple-- truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward."
Last Sunday we continued in this section in Matthew in which Jesus
outlines the cost of discipleship. In
this reading we hear Jesus’ teaching about the acknowledgment of the
Messiah. The question for us is “how
shall we recognize the Messiah? What are
the aspects that we should recognize?
Jesus gives us two choices. The
first is to recognize in him the Prophet – the one who speaks God’s word to the
people. The second is to recognize in
him “the Righteous One”, or as we have understood it, “the Messiah.” To each of these is given both recognition
and a “reward.” Perhaps the good Dr.
Martin Luther should have read this passage before condemning the Epistle of
James.
Breaking open the Gospel:
- How is Jesus the prophet?
- How is Jesus the righteous one?
- How are you the one who offers a cup of water?
After breaking open the
Word, you might want to pray the Collect for Sunday:
Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant
us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may
be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Questions and comments copyright © 2014, Michael
T. Hiller
[1] Signer, M (2001) Rashi’s Reading of the Akedah, The Journal of the Society for Textual
Reasoning, Vol. 10., 2001.
http://jtr.lib.virginia.edu/archive/volume10/Signer.html
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